Singapore is truly a melting pot of many different cultures and cuisines. There are Chinese, Western, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Italian and many other exotic cuisines in Singapore.
Gerry’s Grill serves Filipino food, a cuisine I have yet had the chance to try. Thank you to my Filipino colleagues for introducing me to Filipino food.
Gerry’s Grill is apparently quite popular, it is available in the Philippines, United States of America, Qatar and Emirates.
Let me introduce to you some of the more popular Filipino dishes. The name of the dishes may vary slightly from restaurant to restaurant, but at least you will know what to order at a Filipino restaurant.
Chichabits [S$7.95] is the Philippine name for the fried pork skin that the Philippines is famous for. It is super crispy and sinfully-tasty. Gerry’s Grill’s version has bits of meat attached to the skin, which makes it even tastier.
Sinigang Na Baboy [S$11.45] is a popular traditional Filipino pork soup. It has a distinctive sour broth from the use of tamarind. There are pieces of pork belly with a variety of vegetables.
Judging from the menu, Filipinos are not very fond of vegetables. Chopsuey [S$8.45] is one of the few vegetable dishes available. Pork slices is stir-fried with mixed vegetables and prawns in a starched gravy.
Sizzling Sisig [S$11.95] is a kapampangan dish of chopped pork cheeks sautéed with garlic and onions. Served with an egg on a hot plate, it is slightly tangy thanks to the use of calamansi.
“Pata” means “pork knuckles” in Philippines, so Crispy Pata [S$25.95] means crispy pork knuckles. This is different from the German pork knuckles which is roasted, the Philippines version is deep fried till crispy.
The grilled squid, Inihaw Na Pusit [S$16.95], is tender and juicy. Basked with barbecue sauce, there is a mild sweetness with a nice smokey charredness.
Inihaw Na Liempo [S$12.95] is roasted pork belly. The roasting has dried-up most of the fats, leaving behind meat that is slightly chewy with a touch of smokiness.
If you want to order something from the char-grilled menu but don’t know what to order, Pork Barbecue [S$9.95 for 2 sticks] is your safest bet. They are like huge satays, but with pork instead of chicken, lamb or beef. The pork skewers are glazed with barbecue sauce that gives them a slight sweetness.
“Bangus” means “milkfish” in the Philippines, a fish commonly found in the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia. Sizzling Bangus Ala Pobre [S$12.95] is the version where the milkfish is cooked on a hot plate. The meat is tender and soft, but there are a lot of small bones in this fish, so be careful.
“Pancit” means “noodles in Philippines and Pancit Balabok [S$8.45] is a Filipino noodle dish in shrimp gravy. It is usually topped with shrimp, smoked fish flakes, pork cracklings and hard-boiled eggs.
Halo-Halo [S$5.45] and Mais Con Hielo [S$5.44] are popular Filipino cold desserts of crushed ice, evaporated milk and a variety of ingredients. Halo-Halo has more ingredient such as ube, sweetened beans, coconut julienes, sago, gulaman and many others. Mais Con Hielo is a mixture of shaved ice, corn kernels, sugar and milk. Both of these desserts are topped with a scoop of ice-cream for additional indulgence.
Leche Flan [S$3.95] is very popular in the Philippines and many other countries around the world. It is the Filipino version of French creme caramel. This egg custard dessert is made by baking a layer of caramel at the base of the custard mold. It is served chilled and it’s rich creamy taste makes it very memorable.
Buko Pandan [S$5.45] is a traditional Filipino dessert made with agar-agar, coconut strips, pearls, evaporated milk and condensed milk. It looks really green but the sweet and creamy taste is interesting.
Gerry’s Grill
Address: No. 51 Cuppage Road, Starhub Centre, Singapore 299469
Telephone: 67201412
Opening Hours: Daily 12-10pm
Website: http://gerrysgrill.com/index/